The exemplary embodiments relate to a wire fitting that holds wires in a predetermined shape as well as a wire harness including the same.
Wire harnesses that are mounted to vehicles, such as automobiles or the like, often include a wire fitting made of resin to which wires are attached, and are laid out in a state in which the wires are held along a predetermined path by the wire fitting. For example, in an ordinary conventional wire harness, the wires are fastened to a plate-shaped or rod-shaped resin member by binder members such as adhesive tape or belt members. Thus, the wires are held in their predetermined shape.
Moreover, the wire harness disclosed in JP 2010-27242A includes a wire fitting made of two plate-shaped resin members that are fixed to each other by heat-pressing in a state in which they sandwich a wire bundle. One of the resin members is a base made of a flat plate-shaped base portion and ribs standing upright on the base portion. The other resin member is a flat plate-shaped cover, in which through holes are formed into which the ribs of the base are inserted, and which is fixed to the base portion of the base in a state in which it covers the base.
In the wire harness disclosed in JP 2010-27242A, the wires are sandwiched between the base and the cover. Moreover, in the wire fitting disclosed in JP 2010-27242A, the wires are arranged between a plurality of ribs protruding from a flat portion of the base. The ribs on the base are formed on both sides of the wire paths, and function as guides for the wires.
Now, what is particularly important concerning the shape of wire harnesses is that the wires extend to a predetermined length from a predetermined position that is close to the connection counterpart. Here, the connection counterpart may be an electrical component or a connector or the like that is provided at the end of other wires.
For example, in a wire harness that is arranged below a seat of an automobile, it is important that an intermediate portion of the wires is fastened to a predetermined position leaving a predetermined length to the connector at the end or to the end of the wires, so that a connector at the end of the wires reaches the component, such as a motor for driving the seat, or the connector provided at the end of the other wires at just the right length.
On the other hand, it may be sufficient if, in the wire harness, the path of the wires up to the fastening position is accommodated within a given region with a relative wide range of tolerance. For example, in a wire harness arranged below the seat of an automobile, as long as the portion of the wires up to the fastening position is accommodated within a space between the seat and the component, such as the motor for driving the seat, then a layout over any path is allowable.
In order to employ the wire fitting of JP 2010-27242A, wires having elasticity tend to be lifted up from the flat portion of the base and cross over the ribs of the base. In the wire fitting of JP 2010-27242A, when wires lifted up from the surface of the base cross over the ribs, then the cover cannot be properly put over the base.
Consequently, if the wire fitting of JP 2010-27242A is employed, a bothersome operation of laying out the wires while pushing the wires onto the base so that the wires do not cross over the ribs becomes necessary. That is to say, the wire fitting of JP 2010-27242A poses the problem of requiring a bothersome wire layout operation.
Moreover, if the wire fitting of JP 2010-27242A is employed, it is necessary to prepare many types of wire fittings, in accordance with the required specifications for the fastening positions of the plurality of wires constituting the wire harness. For this reason, the wire fitting of JP 2010-27242A poses the problem of poor adaptability to a variety of required specifications.
Moreover, an ordinary conventional wire harness requires large tools, such as drawing boards, that depend on the required specifications, a large number of resin members such as corrugated tubes, a large number of binder members for fastening the wires to the resin members, and a bothersome operation of attaching many components to the wires.
As explained above, conventional wire fittings and wire harnesses pose the problem that they require a large number of components, a bothersome operation for handling these, and extensive tools, in order to protect the wires while holding them in shapes in accordance with a variety of required specifications.